Child labor certainly didn’t begin during the industrial revolution, but the problem was exacerbated and unique conditions were introduced. Children were uniquely suited to work the machines and crawl into tight spaces. They also made sense to factory owners because they could be hired cheaply. Child labor was taken to new heights during this time frame, and as my primary source shows, there were organizations that were put together to stop the practice. The Suffrage Committee was actively seeking funds to curb child labor.

It often seems that child labor is a thing of the past, but it is still very much a contemporary issue. According to the article posted, there are 168 million child laborers in the world…This is about one in every ten children. The industrial revolution had a mentality of mass production and cheap labor, and this mindset is still alive today. Business owners will do whatever is necessary to maximize profit, and if that means employing children then so be it. We still see sweatshops in our modern world. There is a widespread awareness of the issue, and companies are often forced to prove they are not engaging in those practices. Despite all of this, the problem remains rampant and it is unlikely to be solved any time soon. In some countries it is better than others, as we know here in the US. Our country is an example that it is at least possible to address the issue, but we have a lot of work to do as a global community.